Miles to Go
by saywhat
Summary: Paige and Craig wind up at the same college where an incident turns loathing into love
1. Coincidence?

This story takes place during Craig and Paige's freshman year of college. There is some mild violence, which is the reason for the PG rating. BTW, I don't own anything having to do with Degrassi. 

Craig had never been so confused in his life. He stared at the map in his hands desperately then looked up at the building that towered in front of him. He had thought he had been heading for the C building but somehow wound up at the B building.

Craid had arrived in New York City two weeks before and still was completely overwhelmed. Walking down one street he had seen more people than in his entire high school. Buildings stretched towards the sky and were lost in the clouds. He hadn't been able to hail a taxi for his life and he had gotten lost on the subway at least four times. 

_Maybe it was a mistake coming here_, he thought as he turned around and headed in what he hoped was the right direction. Fortunately, his roommate had advised him to leave extra early to allow time to find his classes. _This city is too big for someone like me_. Then again, he had been so excited months earlier when he had received his acceptance letter to New York University in the mail. He had heard excellent things about their journalism program and that their photography labs were top of the line. So he had packed his bags, said goodbye to his family, friends and town and came to New York, ready to leave his mark on the world.

However, the only marks he seemed to be leaving so far were the footprints on the path he was hurrying along. He adjusted the straps of his backpack, took off his sunglasses and placed them into his curly brown hair, frustrated. Glancing down at his map one last time, he failed to notice someone else coming from the trail on his right until he collided with her. Craig managed to keep his footing and the other girl dropped her books as she steadied herself.

"Sorry," he said quickly, kneeling to help her with her things. When he looked up he was shocked at the familiar face that looked down at him. "Paige?"

"Craig!" Paige took her books from him. "Oh my God, what are you doing here?"

"Going to college," he replied with a smile. "I didn't know you were going here. I thought you were staying in Toronto."

"I was but I was taken off the waiting list last minute to come here," Paige replied. "And who wouldn't want to come to this city?"

"Yeah, but it's a little crazy, don't you think?" Craig asked. "I mean, I barely got to the campus let alone finding the stupid C building." 

"Oh I was heading there too," Paige said. "I thought it was this way."

"No I think it's this way," Craig said pointing. They began to walk down the path together. "This whole city's confusing. It's driving me crazy. I got this job at a photography developing place and was late on my first day of work because I took the wrong connection on the subway." He shook his head with a sigh.

"Oh yeah, what place?" Paige asked casually.

"Um, it's a one-hour place downtown by Battery Park. Kinda far from here but, well, you know, it's the perfect job for—oh there it is!" Craig felt relief flood him seeing the big letter C on the side of the building.

They hurried to the front doors and Craig headed for the elevator while Paige started to turn right.

"Well I'm on this floor, so I guess I'll see you around," Paige said. She turned to go.

"Uh, yeah, sure. See ya." As Craig jabbed at the button on the elevator, he felt a bit confused. He had expected Paige to let him know what dorm she was staying in or give him her phone number to stay in contact but she hadn't. He had been glad to see a familiar face and had expected Paige to feel the same. But apparently she hadn't. He hoped to run into her again and get some sort of contact information.

He'd be seeing her sooner than he thought.

+++

Craig arrived at work that day miraculously on time. His boss, Lou had been pretty lenient for the first few days knowing that Craig was new to the city, but had told him he'd better start getting to work on time. 

Now, Craig hurried into the backroom and clocked in then put on his apron and went to knock on his boss's office door.

"Just a second!" Lou called.

Craig sat down on a hard wooden chair and waited until finally the door opened and he heard a familiar voice.

"Thanks so much for seeing me," Paige said, shaking Lou's hand, while Craig watched open-mouthed. "I appreciate this opportunity."

"Well Craig's been great so far, he really knows his stuff." Lou winked at Craig who smiled weakly. "If he recommends you, then I know you'll work out."

"Oh yeah, Craig and I have been friends forever. He's been teaching me a lot of stuff about photography," Paige replied, avoiding Craig's eyes. "I can't wait to start working here."

"Well you can come by tomorrow and fill out the paperwork and then get started right away. I'm sure Craig would be happy to train you, right?" Lou patted the boy on the shoulder who nodded slowly. "Great! Well have a good day. I'll see you at around three tomorrow?"

"Great!" Paige smiled then glanced at Craig. "Buh-bye!" She turned and flounced out the door.

"It's rare to find such a nice girl these days, huh?" Lou said.

"Yeah, sure. Nice," Craig replied dryly.


	2. Working Together

Craig stormed into his dorm room that evening, slammed the door and threw his things down onto his bed. His roommate, Paul looked up from where he was sitting at the desk, typing on the computer. "Bad day?"

"Yeah. I got lost, got lost some more, and then this girl that I used to know lied so she could get a job at the photo place." Craig took off his jacket and tossed it onto his beanbag chair then collapsed onto the bed. "She told the boss that I recommended her for the job so now if she messes up it's gonna be my fault. And she knows nothing about photography."

"That sucks. Is she another fellow Canadian?" Paul asked with a smile. He was from Brooklyn and had ragged on Craig a bit during their first couple of days together. 

"Yes," Craig replied, rolling his eyes. Despite the teasing, he was actually happy with the pairing. Paul was very funny and they both played guitar and had similar tastes in music. "She went to high school with me."

"What does she look like? Is she hot?"

Craig shrugged. "I guess. She's a total brat though. She used to be friends with my ex-girlfriend although I never really understood why."

Paul grinned mischievously. "You don't happen to have her number do you?"

Craig threw a pillow at him. "No I don't and I have no intention of getting it." He sat up. "I'm hungry. Wanna grab something downstairs?"

Paul glanced at the computer. "Well I do have to finish this report…"

"You already have a report? It's the first week!"

"It's for Psychology. It's actually a lot of fun."

Craig shook his head. "You have one twisted idea of fun. Come on, it won't take long." 

"Fine. But you're paying," Paul told him as they left.

"Ha ha, that's funny," Craig replied. He pushed open the door to the stairwell and they walked downstairs to the cafeteria. "I'm gonna be in debt for the rest of my life going to this college."

"I'm gonna be in debt in my after life. Saint Peter's gonna be asking me for interest in order to go through the pearly white gates," Paul joked.

Craig laughed but fell silent upon entering the cafeteria. Sitting at a table with another girl was Paige. She looked up and hesitated for a second before excusing herself and getting up to come over to them.

"Whoa, who's she?" Paul whispered.

"The person I want to see the least right now," Craig replied. 

"Hi, Craig," she said cheerfully as though nothing had happened. "I didn't know this was your dorm. My friend Alison dorms here too."

"Oh. That's nice."

Paige bit her lip. "Look I'm sorry about before. But it's no big, right? I mean, I just told a little white lie to get the job. I'm sure you've done that before."

"Actually, no I haven't," Craig said coldly. "And I've never put someone else's job on the line either."

"What do you mean? I didn't do anything like that."

"Uh, yeah, well when you have no idea what you're doing, who do you think Lou's going to blame? Me, the one who supposedly taught you everything you know. Now, if you'll excuse me, I had a hard day at work and need some food." He brushed past her and headed to the line. It was a few minutes before he realized that Paul wasn't behind him. Craig craned his neck and saw his roommate laughing at something Paige was saying. He groaned as Paige handed him a slip of paper, obviously her phone number. Paul then hurried over to get on line behind Craig.

"What was that about?" Craig asked.

"What? I thought she was cute and we're gonna go out on Friday." Paul picked up an orange. "Is it just me, or does this look like it's been lying out for twenty nine days?"

"But I told you that she's manipulative, and lying and—"

"Hey, what's the big deal?" Paul raised his eyebrows. "Are you jealous or something?"

"No," Craig answered forcefully. "I'm just saying, she's bad news."

"Maybe there's more to her than you think."

"I doubt it," Craig muttered.

+++

Craig had enjoyed his music theory class the next morning and was in a good mood until he remembered that he had to train Paige at work that day. He arrived with a feeling of dread in his stomach. Sure enough his boss told him to show Paige the equipment then how to develop the photos. Between this he also had to help customers.

A customer arrived after Craig had given Paige to short tour around the backroom. She gave Craig two rolls of film then told them that she would be back in an hour and that the film had better be ready.

"Okay, first you take the film out of the canister," Craig said slowly, as though speaking to someone learning English for the first time.

Paige made a face at him. "Yes I know that, thanks very much."

"We don't have anything high tech like they do in the places you're probably used to going to," Craig said. "We use a dark room which takes a little longer but gives you better quality prints."

"What do you mean, the places I'm used to going to?" Paige asked as she followed him into the room, closing the door behind her.

"Oh you know, like the mall," Craig replied as he shut the lights. The red safety light came on, which gave them enough light to work by but wouldn't ruin the film. 

"Oh, please, don't talk like you know me." Paige crossed her arms. "Just because you're pissed because of how I got this job, doesn't mean you have to be so nasty."  
Craig sighed. "Whatever. Let's just do this." He showed her the procedure slowly with the first roll then let him assist her with the second. To his surprise, she caught on rather quickly and the film was ready in time for the woman to pick it up. 

"Um, okay good job," Craig said reluctantly.

"Finally, a complement." Paige strode over to the wall and hung up her apron. "I'm going to go take my break. Cover for me, will you?" She grabbed her purse then strode out the door.

Craig watched her go in disbelief. _And I actually thought she might not be so bad to work with_, he thought.

It was a half-hour before she returned with a shopping bag and a coke. "Has it been busy?"

Craig motioned to the large pile of envelopes several customers had dropped off while she was gone. "Ya think?"

"Well aren't you supposed to be Mr. Expert with film? I figured you'd be able to handle yourself." She put down her bags then donned her apron.

Craig took a deep breath, willing himself to remain calm. "Well somebody was supposed to deal with the customers while I developed the film. I shouldn't have told Lou that you felt dehydrated and went to get a drink. You're lucky he's gone."

"He left?"

"Yeah his wife was sick or something and he said he wanted to get home early. So it's just you and me closing up tonight." _Unfortunately, _he added in his head. "We're closing early tonight though. Probably around eight-ish."

"Great," Paige said. "The earlier the better."

They worked in silence (apart from a few gripes from Paige about getting only one break) until seven thirty. No one had come in for twenty minutes and Craig decided to start closing up. "Why don't you start sweeping? I have some stuff to do in the office. If you need help with anything, just yell for me."

"Oh joy," Paige said. "Sweeping." She gingerly took the broomstick Craig handed her.

Craig just rolled his eyes then went into the office. He didn't really have anything to do, he just needed to get away from Paige for a few minutes. He wandered around the office aimlessly then took a seat at the desk.

"Paige you're fired," he said quietly, imagining how happy he would be to say those words to her. He glanced down at the desk and noticed two files. One had his own name on it while the other was Paige's. Knowing he had no right to be looking at it, he picked up the file and opened it. The first two pages were general information about her, such as her birthday and past work experience. However, on the final Paige under the question about any medication she was on, he noted that she had taken Paxil, an antidepressant, for a year while they were in high school, and had been on and off it since then. Upon reading the reason why, his eyes widened. She had been raped. 

He sat there, trying to digest that information for several minutes. He couldn't believe it. He never would have guessed anything like that had happened to someone like Paige. She seemed like the type of girl who never had a thing go wrong in her life, never had to deal with hardship. He remembered the pangs of jealously when he saw her with her parents at graduation. They had been hugged her and her mother had been crying with pride. He had wanted so desperately to have a perfect life like the way he had imagined hers to be. Instead he had to stand there with Joey, Caitlin and Angela and pretend like he was just as happy. 

Just then, he heard the familiar sound of the front door opening. He opened the office door and poked his head out. 

A tall man wearing a baseball cap and long trench coat stood at the counter, pointing a gun directly at Paige. 


	3. Robbed

Craig involuntarily gasped and the man whirled to face him. "Get out of there," the man instructed in a gruff voice.

Craig immediately complied stepping out of the office with his hands up, his mind racing. He had no idea what to do and a quick glance at Paige's white face told him she didn't know what to do either. 

The man backed up quickly to the window and pulled down the shade, hiding them from the view of passers-by.

"I want you to open up the cash drawer and put all the money into this bag," the man said, throwing a plastic bag at Paige. "You," he pointed the gun at Craig, "don't try anything heroic and no one will get hurt. Help her."

Craig slowly edged around behind the counter. Paige's hands were trembling so much she couldn't even press the button to open the cash register. Craig reached over and pressed it for her. He and Paige quickly filled it then handed it back to the man who snatched it up.

"That's all you've got?" he snarled, glancing at the contents.

Craig nodded. "S-sorry."

The man stood apparently thinking for a little while then motioned to Paige. "Get over here."

Paige looked at Craig and hesitated.

"Get over here!" the man shouted angrily. Paige immediately hurried out from behind the counter and the man grabbed her roughly by the arm. "Is there a back room?" Paige's eyes widened and Craig realized what the man's intentions were.

"No, get off of her," he said in a tremulous voice.

"Excuse me, I'm the one who's dealing out the commands. Is this an office?" he started to pull Paige over to the office door.

Craig moved to block their way. He couldn't believe what he was doing but he couldn't stop thinking about what he had read in Paige's profile. There were tears streaming down her face now and she struggled weakly.

"Boy, you'd better get out of my way or—"

"P-please," Paige begged. "We gave you all the money we have. We won't call the cops I sweat just let us—" She was cut off when the man harshly slapped her across the face.

Something inside Craig snapped and he lunged, his hand closing around the gun. The man swore and started struggling with Craig, letting Paige go. For a few moments that seemed like an eternity they fought to gain control of the gun. Then a loud shot rang out and Craig felt a horrible pain in his shoulder. Paige screamed his name and it took him a second to realize he had been hit. 

The man looked just as shocked as Craig but he quickly regained his senses. "Get in here," he commanded, opening the door to the dark room. He shoved Paige roughly inside then Craig.

The door slammed shut and Craig heard the padlock click into place with an eerie finality.

That was the last sound he heard for a while as he sank to the floor unconscious.


	4. Revelations

Paige had heard stories about mothers lifting trucks off their babies and never quite understood that kind of adrenaline rush until that day. Somehow, when Craig collapsed, she managed to keep her head. She quickly pulled off her sweater and balled it up under his head. Then she took an apron hanging on the back of the door and pressed it against the wound recalling from movies that applying pressure should slow the bleeding.

Still the amount of blood on his shirt terrified her. She couldn't stop replaying the scene over and over in her head. The man grabbing her…Craig stepping to her defense…then the sound of a gun shot. She still couldn't believe that Craig had done that. And now he could be…no she wouldn't think of that.

Paige glanced around the room. The red light was on and it gave everything an eerie glow. She got up and quickly flicked on the regular lights then went to the door. She tried break it down for several minutes but only got a sore shoulder for her troubles. Just when she was starting to despair, she heard a soft moan. She quickly knelt by Craig. 

"Craig?"

His eyes fluttered open. "What's going on?"

"Um, well, you're shot," she said bluntly.

He closed his eyes. "Oh yeah. That's why I wish I didn't have a shoulder right now." He winced as he tried to sit up. "Where's that guy?"

"Gone, I think," Paige said. She glanced at the door and shivered a little thinking of what he had been about to do. "But we're locked in here." 

"Oh. We'll that's peachy." 

Paige noticed Craig's eyes start to droop. "Hey, stay awake," she said quickly. His eyes opened again. "Don't you dare die on me," she said, "I'll kick your ass."

Craig chuckled at that. "I'm trying." His gaze seemed to go in and out of focus as he looked at Paige. "So what's going on with you and Paul?"

Paige was taken aback by the question. "Well that was out of the blue?"

"Just trying to make conversation. Looks like we're gonna be in here for a while."

Paige shrugged as she adjusted the blood-soaked apron on his shoulder. "I don't know. He just asked me out so I figured I might as well give it a shot. Who knows what'll happen?"

Craig nodded slowly. "He's a good guy. Not so sure about his taste in women though…"

Paige rolled her eyes. "I happen to think he's got wonderful taste."

"You would," Craig retorted. Then he winced. "I think you're putting a little too much pressure there, Paige."

She hadn't realized how hard she had been pressing on his shoulder. "Sorry. You pissed me off."

"Just returning the favor."

"Jeez you have to be nasty to me even in situations like this one?" Paige asked. She took the apron away from his shoulder then grabbed another one.

"Yes." His expression grew serious. "What are we going to do? Cuz things aren't looking great right now. We're trapped in here by some crazy dude and I'm screwed…"

"You're not screwed. You're going to be fine." Paige cleared her throat and pretended to be deeply involved in checking his wound. "Um, by the way, thanks, for that. You know, stopping him and stuff."

"Yeah it worked out real well for me." 

"No I mean it. That was really brave. Not a lot of guys would have done that. I certainly wouldn't have expected you to do that." Paige glanced at his face and saw that it had taken on a dreamy dazed look.

"Are your eyes always blue like that?" he asked.

"Um, they're hazel so they kinda change," Paige replied, worried. "Craig, I think you're getting a little delirious…"

"My mom's eyes were blue, just that exact color," Craig continued, staring at her. "Do you think I'll see her?"

"Craig…" Paige bit her lip. His face had grown rather pale.

"You remind me a little of my mom, in a way. I mean, looks-wise. If you had brown hair, then you'd look just like her. She was beautiful." 

Paige wasn't sure what to do but figured that keeping him talking was probably best. "Um, what was she like?"

Craig smiled slightly. "She was funny. And really smart. She could carry on a conversation about anything. She liked to sing even though she wasn't great at it. I think that's where I got my love of music." His gaze hardened suddenly. "Definitely not from my dad. He always yelled at me when I played guitar in the house and when I once told him that I wanted to be just like Jimi Hendrix—"

"Craig we don't have to talk about this if you don't want to," Paige interjected quickly, sensing that he wouldn't normally be telling her about this if he wasn't delirious.

"No, it's cool." He sighed. "What's it like to have a real family?"

Paige felt her stomach drop. "Craig, you have a family."

He laughed harshly. "Both my parents are dead. Joey's place never felt like home even with Angela there. Some family. Not like yours."

"My family isn't exactly perfect," she told him. "There's no such thing as a problem-free family. We've had our fair share."

"Like what?"

Paige played with the tie on her pants. "Well my brother for starters. My parents bugged out when he came out and he lived with his friend for a while before they finally let him come back home."

"How did they deal when you were raped?"

Paige's heart leaped into her throat. "When I was what?!"


	5. Falling

Yes I finally updated this. I know, I know, I haven't in decades but I just started college so I've been super busy. But reviews would be much appreciated and will help me write quicker :-)

Even in his haze, Craig knew he had made a mistake. "Um...I don't remember what I just said. I'm delirious a-and confused...very confused..." He groaned inwardly.

Paige was staring fiercely at him. "How did you know? Who told you? Was it Ashley? I bet it was her. Just because you two were dating doesn't give her the right–"

Craig shook his head. "No, no it wasn't Ash. She didn't tell me. I just found out today."

Paige's eyes narrowed. "How did you just find out today?"

Craig took a deep breath. "Um, see well what had happened was...it wasn't really my fault...I didn't mean to but..."

"Spit it out."

"I looked at your file in the office," Craig said quickly, closing his eyes and wincing. Paige was silent for a long time and he dared to open one eye a crack. She was just staring at him, expressionless. "Paige? You okay?"

Paige blinked. "What? Yeah. Although I wish I could punch you right now." Then she sighed. "Then again I did kinda lie and put your job in jeopardy to get this job." She lifted the apron to check his wound.

"Hey, that's right," Craig said remembering. "So we're even? Sorta?"He grinned as charmingly as he could manage.

Paige didn't answer him. She was looking at his shoulder with a furrowed brow. Then she noticed him looking at her and quickly flashed a smile at him. "Right. We're even. Everything's cool."

"Paige," Craig said slowly. "What's wrong?"

Paige shook her head, swallowing hard. "Nothing. I said everything's cool." She glanced away and Craig knew she was lying.

"Paige, now is not the time to be lying to me." Craig tried to keep his voice steady.

Paige bit her lip then nodded. "You're right. I'm sorry. It's just...the bleeding still hasn't stopped. It's slowed down a little I think but..."

Craig nodded slowly. He had been trying hard not to think about his current condition but now, faced with it, he was starting to get scared. He started thinking about his parents even more and Joey and Angela as well. "T-tell Joey and Angela that I love them, okay? Just in case."

"Craig..."

"Please. Promise me."

Paige swallowed hard then nodded. "I will. But you're going to be ok. We're going to get through this." She took his hand in hers. Craig was surprised by its softness and gripped it as tightly as he could manage, which wasn't very tightly at all.

Paige was trying her hardest not to cry. Craig's skin was the color of chalk by now and his breathing was shallow. His eyes kept on going in and out of focus and he was clearly having trouble staying awake. She looked down at his face and felt her heart surge with emotion. Discreetly, she wiped away a stray tear that snaked its way down her cheek. She wasn't sure of what she was feeling but it was something she hadn't felt in a long time...maybe ever.

"Paige?" Craig's voice cut into her thoughts.

"Yes, Craig?"

"A-are there like any more aprons or something? It's freezing in here."

Paige felt her stomach drop. It was at least seventy degrees in the room. But she kept her thoughts to herself and got up to search through the closet. She found a lab coat and knelt beside him to cover him gently. She paused for a second and brushed a curl from his forehead. Then she stopped and pressed her whole palm to his forehead. "Craig, sweetie, you're burning up. Are you sure you're cold?"

Craig nodded and his eyes showed that he knew what that meant. "I'm losing too much blood." His eyes glistened with unshed tears.

"It's okay. It's gonna be okay," Paige said, barely managing to hold back her own tears. She could feel her composure starting to slip when a tear escaped from the corner of his eye and down the side of his face. He turned his head to look away but she touched his cheek and gently turned his head towards her. She leaned in and hesitated then went to kiss him on the cheek. But he turned his head so her kiss landed on his lips instead. They kissed for just a few seconds but it seemed like an eternity to her.

"Paige," Craig whispered when they finally pulled away.

"Mmm?" Paige's eyes were still closed as she tried to lock the memory in her brain for all eternity. She frowned when he didn't continue and opened her eyes.

Craig's eyes had fallen shut, his head lolling listlessly to the side.

"Craig?" Paige could feel her heart begin to race. "Craig, sweetie, wake up. Oh God, Craig." The tears began to stream down her face in earnest now. "No, Craig, please." She leaned over him, staring into his face, desperate for a sign of life. "Craig!"


	6. Rescue

There was a noise. At first Paige thought it was her imagination but it definitely sounded like the front door bell. She froze, listening desperately.

"Hello? Craig? Paige?"

Paige leapt to her feet at the sound of her boss's voice. "HELP!" she cried, running over to the door. "Please! We're locked in here!"

"What on earth?" She heard the jingling of keys then the sound of the padlock being unlocked and finally the door opening. He gasped upon seeing the two of them. "Oh my goodness, what happened?"

"Quick, call 911," Paige told him. "Someone robbed us and Craig got shot. He's really hurt." She tried her best to stay calm as he hurried away to do so. She knelt beside Craig and took his clammy hand in hers.

"You're gonna be okay," she whispered. "You're gonna be fine. Everything's gonna be fine."

After what seemed like a millennium, Paige finally heard the wailing sirens of the ambulance. Two paramedics rushed into the room with a stretcher between them.

"What happened?" one of them asked her as the other began to check Craig's vital signs.

Paige quickly explained what had happened. "Is he going to be okay?"She wrung her hands together anxiously.

"We'll let you know as soon as we know," he told her. They loaded Craig into the ambulance.

"I'll drive you to the hospital," Lou offered, as the doors shut and the ambulance sped away. He looked almost as shaken as Paige felt.

"Thanks," Paige replied quietly. "I should try and get in touch with his family first though." She went into the office to get her purse and took out her cell phone. Her hands were shaking as she dialed information and asked for the phone number for Joey Jeremiah.

After several rings, he finally answered the phone, sounding out of breath.

"Hi, this is Paige Michaelchuck, I'm a friend of Craig's from school."

"Oh, right he mentioned you. Didn't you go to high school with him also?"

"Yeah." Paige took a deep breath. "Um, well we work together at the photo shop and tonight we were robbed."

Joey was silent on the other end for a second. "I-is he...are you two okay?"

"I'm fine. But, um, Craig got shot in the shoulder. The ambulance just took him to the hospital." Paige bit her lip as she waited for a response.

"But, is-is he okay? But h-he's okay right? Oh God."

"I'm sure he's going to be okay, Mr. Jeremiah. I'm going to head over there right now and I'll let you know as soon as they tell me." Paige realized that her hands were balled into fists so tightly, her nails were digging into her palms. She relaxed her hands and told herself that what she was saying was really true.

"I-I've got to get there," Joey mumbled distractedly. "Someone's gotta watch Ange...Caitlin can do it." He suddenly seemed to remember that he was on the phone. "Ok, I'm gonna leave right away and catch the first flight I can. Here's my cell phone number, call me as soon as you know anything, please."

"Sure, absolutely," Paige promised. She took down the number then hung up.

"You ready?" Lou said from the doorway.

Paige nodded. _As ready as I'll ever be._


	7. Finding Out

Paige had never been so impatient in her life. And she wasn't exactly a patient person.

After a few hours of tortured waiting, most of which she spent pacing the waiting area, , a doctor finally came out to talk to her and Lou. He started speaking in medical terms none of which Paige understood. Finally he began saying things that sounded like English to her. He told them surgery had gone well and they had managed to extract the bullet but that Craig had lost a lot of blood.

"So is he going to be okay?" Paige burst out, finally, unable to control herself any longer.

The doctor finally smiled. "Yes it looks like he'll make a full recovery."

Paige let out a squeal of delight and hugged Lou who was grinning broadly. "Oh thank God. Thank you so much," she said to the doctor.

"Don't forget, though it's going to take a time for him to recover completely. He's going to need a lot of support and–"

"PAIGE!"

They all jumped and turned to see Joey running towards them.

"You're Paige, right? What's going on? What's happening? You didn't call," he said breathlessly. "I-I thought–"

"I know, we just found out now. He's okay. Craig's going to be fine," Paige told him smiling.

Joey turned to the doctor as though to confirm. When the doctor nodded, Paige thought Joey was going to faint with relief.

"Oh thank heavens." He grabbed the doctor's hand, pumping it heavily. "Thank you so much."

"Your welcome," the doctor replied, obviously trying to suppress a grin. "And you are?"

"Oh, I'm Craig's step father. Sorry, I just got a call and I panicked and managed to get to the airport just in time for a flight here...can I see him?"

The doctor held up his hand. "In a little while. They're taking him into recovery right now. Why don't you all just relax, sit down and I'll let you know when they're ready for visitors. There will be some paperwork you'll have to fill out but we'll get to that later." He left and the others looked at each other, unsure of what to say or do.

"I think I'd better get down to the police station. They want a report and they'll be wanting to speak to you and Craig eventually," Lou said. "But I'll tell them it'll be a little while."

Paige smiled gratefully at him. "Thanks."

She and Joey sat down in the waiting area as Lou left. There was an awkward silence then Paige and Joey began to speak at once.

"Thanks–"Joey began.

"I'm–" Paige started.

They both paused.

"You go ahead," Paige said quickly.

"I just wanted to say thank you for calling me and everything. I really appreciate you being here," Joey told her earnestly.

"Oh don't even worry about it," Paige replied. "I was just about to say how glad I am that Craig's going to be okay."

"Oh, were you two good friends?" Joey asked.

Paige shrugged and smiled slightly. "Well this experience sure brought us closer together."

They made small talk for a while before the doctor came out and said that said that they could each visit Craig one at a time. Joey politely asked Paige if she wanted to go first, but hurried off the instant she said she could wait. Paige wandered over to the magazine rack and picked one out. She flipped through it but didn't really take in anything on the pages. Now that she knew Craig was going to be okay, she started thinking about that kiss. She wasn't sure if it had happened just because of the moment and circumstances or if he really felt something for her. She wasn't even sure how she felt. She knew she had feelings for him, that was for sure. But how strong were those feelings?

Just as she was contemplating this, Joey came walking towards her. She stood up, tossing the magazine aside and he smiled reassuringly.

"You can go on in there now, Paige. He doesn't look too bad." He held up his cell phone. "I've got to call my wife."

"Thanks." Paige wiped her sweaty palms on her jeans as she slowly walked down the hall. It was time to find out just how strong her feelings were.


	8. Talks

Craig still looked pale but not as bad as before. Blood was still being fed to him through an IV as well as another clear liquid that Paige guessed was morphine. His arm was in a sling and rested on top of the blanket that covered him. There was heart monitor beating steadily and other wires that Paige didn't know the purpose to. But he was alive and that was all that mattered. She stood beside his bed and ran a finger down his hand then gripped it in her own. To her surprise, she felt his fingers close around her's.

"Craig?" she whispered, her heart fluttering.

He let out a soft moan, his eyes still closed.

Paige gently stroked his cheek. "Craig, hon, wake up. It's Paige."

"Paige?" His voice was barely audible. He frowned slightly. "Wh-what's going on?"

"Everything's okay. You're in the hospital now. You're going to be fine."

Craig's eyelashes fluttered as he opened his eyes slightly. "I am?" She watched as his eyes flicked back and forth, taking in the room. They finally came to rest on her and a smile played over his face. Paige caught her breath. She couldn't believe she had failed to realize how good looking he had become. Even now, the sight of him made her heart skip several beats. She realized that those feelings were stronger than she could have thought.

Paige nodded until she found her voice. "Yeah."

"That's good." Craig closed his eyes for a minute then opened them wide this time. "Did they call Joey?"

"Yeah he's here. He just went to go make a call. He'll be back soon." She noticed a wistful look on Craig's face. "What?"

"He flew all the way down here?" Craig asked. He looked amazed at the idea of it.

"Yeah. He caught a flight as soon as I called and got here in a few hours while you were in surgery. He was really worried, Craig." Paige watched him for a reaction. He stared at the ceiling for a while before turning to her. Then his eyes focused behind her and she turned to see Joey standing in the doorway. She looked back at Craig and realized that she should leave them alone to talk. From the look on Craig's face, she could tell that they would have a lot to talk about.

Craig had thought he would never feel worse than when he thought he was going to die. But now he thought he did seeing Joey standing in the doorway. He remembered what he said about how Joey and Angela weren't his real family. Now, seeing the concern on Joey's face, he realized that this was the only true father he ever really had.

Joey came to sit in the chair beside the bed. "Hey there. How are you feeling?"

"Like I just got shot."

Joey chuckled but his eyes remained worried. "Seriously, though."

Craig shrugged then grimaced at the pain in his shoulder. "My shoulder hurts and I feel kinda like I have the flu, you know? All weak and woozy and stuff."

Joey nodded distractedly. "A-and you're comfortable? You don't need any more blankets or pillows..."

"No, no, I'm fine. Really."

Joey fumbled with the antenna on his cell phone. "Are you sure?"

"Joey. I'm okay. You don't need to worry."

Joey looked up at him finally. "What do you mean, I don't need to worry? Of course I'm going to worry about you, Craig. You're like a...no you _are_ my son. If you hadn't..." He bit his lip.

Craig felt tears prickling at his eyes. "I know. You've been a really great father to me. I haven't appreciated it. But I do now."He took Joey's hand and squeezed it. "I'm sorry that I never said it before."

"Craig that means a lot to me," Joey said earnestly. "I always wondered if you were happy. I know how hard things were after your mother..." He paused, clearing his throat. "And your dad. But Angie and Caitlin and I will always be here for you. You still have a family."

"I know," Craig replied, his voice thick with emotion. "I didn't always know but I know now. I don't think I ever thanked you for taking me in after everything with my dad. It must have been a big burden to suddenly get a teenage son..."

Joey leaned forward. "I admit I wasn't exactly sure what I was doing. But you weren't a burden. Never a burden. I wanted you, I wouldn't have taken you in if I didn't. I wished I could have after your mother passed away but it wasn't possible at the time. I could have just as easily left you with a foster family but I didn't. I love you Craig. More than you think."

Craig couldn't think of any words he could possibly say to convey what he was feeling. Instead he reached out his good arm to pull Joey into a hug. Joey hugged him back carefully, avoiding his injury. After a minute he pulled away and smiled at Craig affectionately. Craig leaned back against his pillows, tired but feeling better than he had in a long time.

"So..." A grin started to spread across Joey's face. "What's the deal with this Paige girl?"

Craig suddenly remembered their kiss and felt his face growing hot. "Uh, what do you mean?"

"Well I mean she was really worried about you. And not to mention the fact that she's a knockout. And blonde. Blondes are good."

Craig laughed. "Yeah they are." He shrugged, looking away, feeling embarrassed. "I don't know. I mean, we did kinda kiss..."

"Hey that's a good sign," Joey said with a chuckle.

"Yeah but I was kinda the one who kissed her, so I don't even know if she was just being nice because I was hurt or what."

"Well how did she react?"

"Um I don't really know I kinda passed out right afterwards."

Joey raised his eyebrows. "That must've been some kiss," he joked.

Craig laughed but his mind was elsewhere now. He remembered Paige's face after the kiss. She had her eyes closed but didn't look like she had minded at all. He knew he certainly didn't.

As though in answer to his thoughts, Paige appeared in the doorway, hovering uncertainly.

"Hey," Craig said, smiling at her. She smiled back hesitantly.

Joey pushed back his chair, getting to his feet. "Um, I should call Caitlin again. She's been threatening to fly down if I don't give her updates every twenty minutes." He patted Craig affectionately on the hand then went towards the door. As Paige walked by him into the room, he winked at Craig over her head before turning away.

Craig tried to suppress a grin.

"How are you feeling?" Paige asked him as she sat down in the chair beside his bed.

"Not too bad." Craig realized he really did feel better. Whatever medication they were feeding him through the tubes seemed to be working. "How are you doing?"

"Oh I'm fine. You don't need to even be asking."

"Well I don't mean just physically. That must have been pretty scary for you. I was kinda out of it the whole time. If I were you, I would have been freaking out," Craig told her.

Paige chuckled harshly. "I kind of was. You probably just didn't notice or else I hid it very well."

Craig noticed tears glistening in her eyes. "Hey, Paige it's okay now. Everything's cool." He took her hand in his, rubbing it soothingly.

She swiped at her eyes with her other hand. "No, I know. It's just that...I _was_ scared, Craig. I managed to keep it inside at the time but now..."

"Paige..."

"I thought you were going to die," she whispered.

Craig swallowed hard. "I know. I did too." He managed a tiny smile. "But I didn't."

"Thank God," Paige said sincerely. "I don't know what I would have done." A smile started to spread across her face. "Who would bug me every day at work?"

"Me bug you?" Craig replied with feigned indignation. "Please, you're the one who—" And then she was kissing him. It happened so fast, he barely had a chance to react. But when he realized what was going on, he kissed her back. After a while they finally pulled away from each other. Craig couldn't think of a word to say. Paige sat back in her chair, staring at him Then she grinned.

"You kissed me last time. I had to get my revenge."

Craig laughed. He never knew revenge could feel so good.


	9. Complicated

Craig had never received as many phone calls in his life as he did that evening. It seemed that everyone he had ever met in his life was calling to see if he was okay. Apparently Caitlin had told Spike Nelson, who told her daughter, Emma, who in turn told most of his old high school friends. Emma, along with Jimmy, Spinner, Marco, Sean, Ashley and even Manny had called, not to mention Caitlin and Angela several times in between.

The phone was finally silent for ten minutes and he leaned back against his pillows, exhausted but glad that so many people seemed to care about him.

He tried to go to sleep but found that his mind was racing at a thousand miles an hour. After a while, he turned on the bedside lamp and picked up a newspaper that Joey had brought him. He leafed through it briefly then tossed it back on the night stand with a sigh. He wished he had his guitar. Then he remembered that he wasn't going to be able to play it for a while anyway. Not to mention writing songs. Or writing anything. He swallowed hard, the realization of what had happened finally beginning to hit him. He had been so concerned with Paige and Joey that he hadn't had a chance to think about what the doctor had told him.

Dr. Burns had sat down with him a few hours ago to discuss future repercussions of his injury. He had told Craig that it would be a few weeks before he gained back the use of his right arm and even then it might pain him to use it for extended periods of time. Craig was going to have to attend physical therapy for a while to lessen those chances. At the time, Craig had still been on a high from his kiss with Paige and he had barely registered anything the doctor said. Now the full weight of it hit him. If he couldn't use his arm for long periods of time, how could he play guitar for hours like he used to? Or sit on his bed at night, writing songs until the sun came up?

_Don't be silly_, he told himself anxiously. _Your arm is going to be fine. Everything's going to be fine_.

Still, Craig didn't get much sleep that night.

The next morning went by in a blur. After finally managing to fall asleep as light began to filter in through the blinds, Craig was awoken at nine by an overly cheerful nurse. She gave him about five minutes to take a few bites of his breakfast before whisking him off for a series of tests and exams. Finally, late in the afternoon he was returned to his room. He had barely pulled the covers over himself when there was a knock at the door. Suspecting it was the nurse again, he didn't answer, hoping she would go away. After a few minutes, the door opened slowly. Paige's head peeked into the room.

"Craig?"

"Oh, hey," he said, relieved. "Thought you were the happiest nurse in the world come to sing me a song or something."

Paige frowned. "What?"

"Never mind. Come on in." Craig motioned for her to take the chair beside his bed. "How are you?"

"I'm fine." Paige edged into the room, her hands behind her back. "How are you feeling?"

"Not bad," Craig answered, mustering up a smile. He was still thinking about his future but tried to push those thoughts aside.

Paige came to stand by his bed. "Well I brought you some stuff that I hope will make you feel a little better." She showed him what she had been hiding behind her back and placed it on his bedside table. It was a box of chocolates, a CD and a book.

"Oh wow!" Craig said, completely forgetting his earlier worries. "All this for little old me?" He picked up the CD. "I wish I had my CD player though."

"Joey said he was going to bring it by later," Paige replied smiling.

Craig grinned up at her. "You think of everything." He opened the box of chocolates and stuffed one in his mouth then nearly spat it back out. "Ugh coconut," he groaned, forcing it down his throat. Finally, he looked at the book. It was hardcovered and small with illustrations of entangled vines covering it.

"Yeah it's a book of poetry. It was the only thing I could find at the gift shop for you to read besides Teen Beat. And plus you're into poetry and stuff, right?" Paige peered at the spine of the book. "Yeah it's by some guy named Robert Frost. Ever heard of him?"

Craig held back a laugh. "Yeah, I did."

"Any good?"

"Yeah. Very good. He's actually one of my favorites." Craig flipped through the book for a second before looking up at Paige. "Thank you."

"Your welcome," she replied. She sat down in the chair and took a deep breath. "Listen, I wanted to talk to you a little, actually. We didn't really get a chance yesterday."

"Yeah," Craig said eagerly. "I wanted to talk too."

"Well, Paul and I are going out tonight," Paige said after a second. "That's okay with you, right?"

Craig felt his heart take a leap into his throat then sink back to the bottom of his stomach. He tried to mask his surprise. "Paul? Oh, yeah. Um, sure. That's cool. You know...whatever."

Paige stared at him then a grin started to form across her face. "Kidding."

It took Craig a minute to realize what she meant and let out a breath he hadn't realized he had been holding. "Ooh Michalchuk, that was not cool." Despite himself he let out a shaky laugh. "Not cool at all."

"Sorry, but I couldn't resist," Paige replied, laughing. "Actually, speaking of Paul, I just remembered to call him to let him know what's going on. He's going to come by a little later."

Craig nodded. "Um, did you tell him...anything else?"

"Um, well I wasn't sure exactly what to tell him. Yesterday that doctor of yours barged in right after we ki–"

The door opened just then and Joey stepped into the room. "Hey Craig, Paige. How are you guys doing?"

Paige sighed and threw an frustrated smile Craig's way. "I'm doing fine."

"Me too," Craig added. He was frustrated too. It seemed that every time he got the opportunity to tell Paige how he felt they were interrupted.

"I went to your dorm to get a few things," Joey indicated the duffel bag he was carrying. "You roommate is here too. He just stopped in the gift shop." Joey placed the bag carefully on the table.

Craig and Paige looked at each other. Neither one was sure of what to say to Paul when he came. Craig was wishing that they had a chance to talk it over when the door opened and Paul entered, a "Get Well Soon" balloon bobbing behind him.

"Hey man," he said warily. "You okay?"

"Yeah, yeah I'm okay," Craig replied. "Really. O hey, thanks for the balloon."

"Who said this was for you?" Paul replied with a grin.

Craig laughed. "Oh I see."

There was an uncomfortable silence before Joey spoke. "Uh, Craig I spoke to your doctor. He said that you should be able to get out of here by tomorrow when they get all your test results back."

"That's great," Craig said.

"Yeah, I'm going to stay here for a while until you're better. I'll rent a car so I can drive you to physical therapy and whatnot. You can stay with me at the hotel too."

Craig was surprised at this news. "Oh, Joey you don't have to do all that. I can manage by myself."

Joey shook his head. "No, no, no it's okay. I wouldn't feel right leaving right away. I'd rather stay and make sure you're getting along okay before I go back home." He patted Craig's uninjured shoulder gently.

Paige spoke up then. "I've got an appointment at the police station to give a report in a little while so I'd better get going."

"Oh I can give you a ride, if you want," Joey offered.

The two of them left saying quick goodbyes and promising to stop by later, leaving Craig and Paul alone. Paul came to sit in the chair beside the bed.

"So what's going at school. Did I miss anything in Physics?" Craig asked.

Paul shook his head ."It's cool I got all the notes." He looked down at his hands then back up at Craig. "Look, it's okay. You and Paige."

"What?"

"I'm cool with you and Paige being together. I just met her a couple of days ago. Didn't have much of a chance to get very attached."

"B-but how did you..."

Paul smiled. "She had that look on her face, man. When she looked at you. I could see it in her eyes." He winked . "I've had a lot of experience with that look."

Craig laughed, feeling relieved. "Thanks, buddy."

Paul shrugged. "She wasn't that hot anyway...okay she was, but I'm a generous guy and there's plenty of fish in the sea."

Just then, the door to the room slowly opened and Dr. Mill poked his head inside the room. "Hello there."

"Hi, Dr. Mill," Craig said cheerfully. "And before you ask, I feel great!"

The doctor smiled at him, stepping fully into the room. "That's good to hear. I just wanted to talk to you for a little bit about the test results." He glanced at Paul who quickly stood.

"Yeah I'd better get to class. I already missed one today. I'll come by tomorrow before you get released." He patted Craig on the shoulder and left quickly. But Craig had his eyes fixed on the doctor's face. He noticed that the doctor's face changed when Paul mentioned his release date.

Craig knew he wasn't leaving tomorrow.


	10. Bad to Worse

Dr. Mill looked down at the young man lying in the bed in front of him and just for a second, hated his job. He loved being able to help people, to save them, to make a difference in others' lives. However, there was another side to his job that was definitely more of a burden. When he couldn't help or save someone. Or when he had to deliver bad news.

"Don't beat around the bush please," Craig said quietly, interrupting his thoughts. "Just tell me."

"Okay, Craig," Dr. Mill replied, sitting down in the chair next to the bed. He couldn't stand the way Craig was looking at him but kept his eyes on the boy's face. "Well we got the results of some of your tests back already. All your blood tests came out fine."

"And the bad news?"

Dr. Mill knew there was no fooling Craig. "Okay. Do you remember when the nurse was poking your arm with the needle? Well, that was testing your nerves to make sure that none of them were damaged. The bullet did damage one."

"What does that mean?"

"Well, this nerve controls most of the movements in your hand." Dr. Mill took a deep breath. "So, for now, you won't be able to use your right hand."

"F-for now? Does that mean the nerve will heal?" Craig looked pretty terrified.

Dr. Mill tilted his head. "Ah yes it definitely possible." He was trying his best to gently break the news but also not get Craig's hopes up. "Here's what we're going to do. You're going to stay here for a while longer. We're going to have you start physical therapy once your arm heals more, which may help the nerve heal. Then, in a few weeks, we can see how the nerve is doing, okay?" He paused, watching Craig intently. He sat in his bed, clearly stunned by the news.

"I-it's possible?" Craig said finally. "That means that it's not likely. Not likely that I'll ever be able to use my hand again." He stared down at his arm. Dr. Mill knew at that moment that Craig was trying his hardest to move his hand.

"There have been plenty of cases in situations just like this where the nerve healed just fine. We're going to do everything we can to make that happen, Craig."

"Can't you repair it surgically or something? I-I'm a journalism major and photographer and my guitar..."

Dr. Mill shook his head. "No, I'm afraid we can't. We would only damage it further. It needs to heal on its own."

Craig nodded slowly. "Okay. Thank you." The doctor could see he was struggling to keep his composure.

"Do you have any more questions?"

"No. Thank you," Craig repeated a bit more forcefully, his voice trembling slightly. Dr. Mill could tell that this was his cue to leave but was reluctant to do so.

"Are you sure you don't want to talk about anything else?" Dr. Mill pressed.

"No!" Craig burst out. He swallowed hard. "Please, I-I just want to be alone right now."

Dr. Mill sighed and stood up. "Okay, Craig. But if you have any more questions just buzz the nurse and she'll come get me okay?"

Craig nodded quickly.

Dr. Mill turned to leave but when he got to the door he stole one more glance behind himself. Craig was sitting with his knees drawn up, his forehead resting on his uninjured arm. Although he couldn't see the boy's face, he could see his shoulders shaking with his silent tears.

And again, as he watched, Dr. Mill hated his job. This time, it lasted longer than a second.


	11. Confessions

Paige arrived at the hospital the next morning, just as visiting hours were beginning, determined to talk to Craig about her feelings. She wasn't going to allow any interruptions this time, no matter what.

She knocked on his door gently then pushed it open slowly. Craig was lying in his bed, his head turned to the side, away from her. He appeared to be staring out the window but his eyes were unfocused.

"Hey," she said quietly, trying not to startle him. Even so, he jumped and turned his head towards her. She slipped into the room, shutting the door behind her. "So are you excited about today? Finally get out of this place."

"I'm not."

Paige frowned. "You're not? Why not?"

"Bullet hit a nerve in my shoulder," he said dully. "I'm probably never going to be able to use my hand again." Craig turned his head away again, clearly upset.

"Oh. . .Craig, hon, it's gonna be okay." She came to stand by the bed. "It will. I know it doesn't look like it now, but it will."

Craig turned his head to look at her, tears glistening in his hazel eyes. "God, I am so sick of hearing that. 'It's going to be okay'. That's what everyone seems to tell me whenever something else goes wrong in my life. I heard that about fifty times this morning from Joey and Caitlin. Please, spare me."

Paige was taken aback. "I-I'm sorry."

Craig opened his mouth as though to say something more then sighed. "No, I'm sorry. You didn't deserve that. I'm just frustrated and angry. But that's my life, right? One catastrophe after another. I should be used to it by now."

Paige stroked his hair soothingly. "Look at everything that's happened to you. You have had to deal with a lot of bad stuff."

"I thought you were supposed to make me feel better."

"But," Paige continued, undaunted, "you survived. Not only did you survive, but you came out a stronger person because of it. A wonderful person." She took a deep breath. "A person I care about a lot."

It was Craig's turn to look surprised. "Really?"

Paige nodded, a half smile playing on her face. "Really. And I'm going to be here with you to get through this. Every step of the way. Well, that is if you want me too."

Craig nodded quickly. "Yes, I do. I really really really do." He smiled up at her. "Thanks."

Paige glanced at his night table and noticed that the book of poetry she had gotten him was lying open. "Have you been reading this?"

"What? Oh yeah." Craig picked it up and handed it to her, pointing to one poem. "This one especially."

Paige cleared her throat and began to read.

_Whose woods these are I think I know.  
His house is in the village though;  
He will not see me stopping here  
To watch his woods fill up with snow.  
My little horse must think it queer  
To stop without a farmhouse near  
Between the woods and frozen lake  
The darkest evening of the year.  
He gives his harness bells a shake  
To ask if there is some mistake.  
The only other sound's the sweep  
Of easy wind and downy flake.  
The woods are lovely, dark and deep.  
But I have promises to keep,  
And miles to go before I sleep,  
And miles to go before I sleep. _

Paige lowered the book, finding herself surprisingly moved by the words. "Wow. Now I get why you like this guy so much."

The next few weeks seemed to stretch on forever. Physical therapy was harder than Craig could have thought. And every few days, he'd get poked with the needle and hope against hope that the little line on the screen would jump, indicating the nerve was healing. But it never did.

The only thing keeping Craig sane was seeing Paige every evening. He would come back from physical therapy tired and frustrated but when he saw her, a calm seemed to settle over him. They would often read from his book of poetry together, discussing what the poems meant. Craig was surprised at some of the insight Paige had, coming up with ideas that he never would have thought of.

Sometimes she would sit in the chair beside his bed and sometimes she would curl up in his bed beside him. Sometimes he fell asleep as she was reading to him but her voice was so soothing to him that he couldn't help it.

Craig was falling in love with her more and more every night they spent together.

On one particular evening, they were discussing Robert Frost's poem, _Fire and Ice_.

"What would you rather have the world end in, fire or ice?" Paige asked him.

"Ice. Definitely ice. Burning to death would not be fun. Besides, ice would preserve everything so that maybe one day it would melt and who knows, the world could just continue on like nothing happened. Or else if aliens came, they could see all the wonderful things this planet had."

"Like Austin Powers?" Paige asked, laughing. "We'll all be cryogenically frozen?"

Craig smiled. "Exactly. What would you rather the world end in?"

"I don't know. I think I'd prefer it not ending at all." Paige shrugged. "But if I had to choose, I would pick fire."

"Really? Why?"

"Because fire is so beautiful. I mean, yeah its destructive and all but have you ever looked at a flame? Like, really looked at one? It's got so many colors all interchanging and flickering...it's amazing." Paige rolled her eyes. "That must've sounded so–"

"I love you." The words burst from Craig. He simply couldn't hold them in any longer.

Paige's eyes widened and her mouth opened but no sound came out. Finally she seemed to find her voice. "I-I'm sorry, did you say something?"

Craig took her hand. "Yeah, I did. I said that I love you, Paige." He held his breath, waiting for an answer.

Paige looked at him for a minute before pulling her hand out of his.

Craig frowned. "Paige?"

"I-I can't. I hafta..." Paige got up quickly, nearly upsetting Craig's dinner tray. "I forgot I had an appointment..." She gathered her things and rushed towards the door.

"Wait, Paige," Craig called, feeling his chest constricting. "Can't we talk?"

Paige stopped, her hand on the doorknob. She turned around and Craig saw a glimmer of hope.

"Craig..." she began slowly. Then she turned the knob and the tiny glimmer shrank away into nothing. "I'm sorry but I can't right now..." With that she turned and left.

Craig sat there for a minute, trying to absorb what had just happened. The line of a poem from the book sprang into his mind. "Two roads diverged in a wood and I took the one less traveled by," he muttered, "and I ruined everything."

**R&R please! i like feedback :-)**


	12. Hope

Paige had made a big mistake. She realized that as soon as she got back to her dorm. Why had she done that? Left Craig after he said something so wonderful to her? Even if she wasn't sure she felt the same way, running out on him hadn't been the right thing to do. She sighed and fell back onto her bed. Her roommate was out partying as usual and most likely wouldn't be home until the next morning. For once she was thankful as it gave her time to think. And call Craig to apologize.

She didn't even realize she had fallen asleep until she felt the warm rays of the sun on her face. She opened her eyes a crack then groaned. She rolled over to look at her alarm clock. It was nine o'clock. She was already late for class.

Paige grabbed her books and hurried to class, hoping she hadn't missed anything important. She went through the day impatiently waiting until she could finally go and visit Craig.

_But wait, what am I telling him exactly?_ She thought as she trudged up the stairs to her dorm room. _Do I love him? _Paige didn't think so. Then again, how would she know? She had changed so much since her relationship with Spinner that, looking back, she realized that wasn't true love. But was this? She knew it was different but love? And even if it was love, did she even want that right now? She was dealing with a whole new life, she wasn't sure if she needed a relationship to complicate things further. Especially with someone going through something so serious.

Paige was so caught up in her thoughts that she realized she had passed her floor and was now on the fifth floor. Conscious of the people behind her, she casually walked down the hall to the other staircase then went down to her own room. She heard strains of someone practicing guitar as she unlocked her door. She froze, remembering when Craig had told her how scared he was that he would never be able to play again. Then she looked down at the pile of text books in her hands. She had a ton of work and it didn't seem to be changing anytime soon.

Paige thought for a second, before throwing her books on her bed and hurrying out of her room. She still didn't know what she doing but she knew that she had to get to the hospital right away. She had a feeling she would know when she saw Craig again.

Craig wasn't sure he could take anymore. They had been working on his arm for almost an hour straight and every bone in his body ached. And he didn't even have seeing Paige to look forward to, to get him through things as usual.

"Come on, just one more," Mary, his therapist urged him on. "You can do one more."

Craig shook his head, panting as he tried to lift the weight strapped around his arm. "I-I can't."

"You've done a lot more than this before," Mary told him raising an eyebrow. "Is something wrong?"

"Yeah," Craig replied forcefully. He unstrapped the weight letting it drop to the floor. "This isn't working and I'm sick of it. I just want to have one day where I don't have to do this crap." He knew he shouldn't be lashing out at Mary who had been nothing but nice to him. But right now, he wanted to just lie in his bed and sleep forever.

Mary looked at the weight lying on the floor for a second before nodding slowly. "Okay, Craig. You're right, you do deserve a break. I'll take you upstairs." She waited for him to get into the wheelchair but he shook his head.

"I can walk. My legs aren't what got damaged. I don't need my arm to walk."

"Sorry Craig it's policy."

"Fine." Craig sat down angrily in the chair and allowed himself to be wheeled to his room. As soon as they reached it, he stood and climbed into bed without a word.

Mary bit her lip and was silent for a moment. "Whatever it is, you shouldn't let it bother you so much. You were making a lot of progress and I'd hate to see you ruin all that." With that, she turned and left.

Craig sighed. He hadn't meant to take out his frustration on Mary. But it was hard to keep everything inside. If Paige hadn't left, things would be different. He could talk to her about everything that was going on in his mind. Let everything out.

Before he knew it, dinner had come and gone and he was being wheeled into the exam room to get poked with the needle for the thousandth time. He sat on the exam table, watching dully as they set up the equipment and scribbled various items down on his chart. He'd seen them do it a million times before and the routine was no different tonight.

"Hello, Craig," Dr. Mill stood in the doorway, smiling slightly. "Are you all ready?"

Craig nodded.

"Ok. I hope you don't mind that someone wants to sit in on our session." Dr Mill moved out of the doorway to reveal Paige standing behind him. She looked a bit terrified but also happy.

"Paige? Wh-what are you doing here?" he asked, completely confused. After she had run out on him the night before he wasn't expecting to see her again, let alone so soon.

"I told you I was going to be here for you. And I am. All the way." She came to stand beside him. "I'm so sorry about last night. I didn't...I mean, I was just..." She sighed and took his hand in her's. "I'm sorry."

Craig nodded slowly. "It's okay. I know I kinda freaked you out. I was just trying to be honest."

"I know you were. And I appreciate it. And that doesn't mean I don't want to be with you anymore. That is, if you still want to be with me." Paige smiled and shrugged. "Who knows where things will go?"

Craig smiled back at her, feeling a bit better. Although it still hurt to know that Paige didn't feel the same way he did, he was glad she still wanted to be with him. "Yeah that sounds good."

Dr. Mill cleared his throat hesitantly. "We're all set up, Craig."

"Go ahead, do your thing, doc," he told him.

The nurse rubbed down his shoulder with some type of alcohol. Paige squeezed his hand as the doctor picked up the needle and touched it against Craig's shoulder. Craig looked at the screen, still feeling a tiny bit of hope after all these weeks. Still, the line didn't move at all.

Paige rubbed his arm soothingly. Craig looked at her with a sad smile then glanced back at the screen. His heart skipped a beat. Was that his imagination? He could have sworn the blue line across the screen had moved. He looked at Dr. Mill who was staring intently at the screen. He lifted the needle then pressed it against Craig's shoulder again. This time, there was no denying it. The line jumped, slight as it was, Craig saw it. He had spent so much time staring at an unmoving line, he had no doubt that it had moved.

"Did it just–?" Paige asked, looking at Craig wonderingly.

Craig looked at Dr. Mill, afraid that his heart was going to beat right out of his chest.

Dr. Mill was facing the screen, frowning intently. Then he turned and Craig saw the smile on his face.

Paige's arms were around Craig before he could even react. He let out a shout of joy, grasping Paige tightly. His nerve was healing. He was going to be able to use his hand again. To play guitar, take pictures, write...

"Congratulations," Paige whispered.

He leaned forward to kiss Paige hard on the lips. He didn't care that the doctor and nurse were around, that they were in an exam room, about the hard road he still had ahead of him. The only thing in the world was Paige.

When they finally drew away, Paige still had her eyes closed, looking dazed. After a moment, she slowly opened her eyes. Then to Craig's surprise she sighed. "Okay, fine," she said. "You forced it out of me." She rolled her eyes with fake exasperation. "God, you always do that."

Craig had never been so confused.

A smile started to play on Paige's lips. "I love you."

It took a second for Craig to register what she said. Then he grinned too. "I told you not to do that to me anymore."

"And I told you that everything was going to be okay," Paige reminded him.

Craig nodded, still smiling. As much as he hated that phrase, for the first time in his life, he believed it.

**Thanks for reading this fic. I hope you enjoyed it because I enjoyed writing it. I've got plenty more Degrassi stuff up my sleeve so look out for a new fanfic soon.**


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